One My Hero Academia character never got the ending focus they needed (& it isn't All For One)

My Hero Academia, with the inclusion of chapter 431 in the manga, managed to provide a satisfying conclusion for the vast majority of the cast, but there is an argument to be made that Stain's conclusion wasn't handled in the manner he deserved.

Due to his controversial stance regarding heroes, the character's conclusion tends to divide the community, but there is no denying that he ended his stint in the series in a rather unceremonious manner.

Stain died in My Hero Academia when helping All Might against All For One in the final arc, and the story never gave him any focus afterward. Some fans feel that his extreme actions make him undeserving of getting any meaningful conclusion, however, his role in the story is very important since it presents the issues with the hero society.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda.

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My Hero Academia needed to provide a more fitting conclusion for Stain's character

Stain as seen in the anime (Image via Bones)

As mentioned earlier, Stain arrived at the eleventh hour of All Might's battle with All For One in the Final War arc and died at the hands of the evil overlord, with the story not giving him any sense of closure. Furthermore, the epilogue never truly explored his character, his legacy, and whether or not he managed to change his extreme ideology regarding heroes.

In that regard, some people feel that Stain was an extremist zealot whose murders of innocent heroes robbed him of any sympathy. This makes sense, but there is no denying that he fulfills a significant role in the story and should have gotten at least one scene to conclude his arc, which is something that someone like Overhaul got despite his abuse of Eri.

It could have been something connected to All Might, who managed to regain his passion for heroism during the Dark Hero arc thanks to Stain's intervention, but the former never explored it or talked about it. It is a shame because Stain's introduction presented a problem in the hero society that would become instrumental in the manga moving forward.

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The importance of closing Stain's character arc

Stain talking to All Might in the anime (Image via Bones).

While the figure of Stain divides the My Hero Academia fandom, he is the first one in the series who directly states that there is something wrong with the hero society. This doesn't justify the character's actions, since he took the lives of multiple heroes because they didn't live up to his standards, but his criticism of them had a certain degree of truth.

Moreover, his character is quite influential for some of the main villains of the story, such as Himiko Toga and Spinner, although he never truly got the chance to interact with them, either. Therefore, this makes Stain's role in the series feel a bit disjointed since he presented a major topic in the manga but was removed for the most part.

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Final thoughts

My Hero Academia never gave Stain's character any meaningful conclusion, which is mostly unfortunate given his thematic importance in the story. Some fans might not agree to this because of his actions, but there is no denying that he is very relevant to the plot, and his arc didn't conclude in a satisfying manner.

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